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Hisoillu Week - Day 5: Past/Future

Title: Reading the Future in the Past

Hisoka first saw the boy while he was sitting on one of the few unbroken slats of wood that formed the dilapidated fence that hugged the field of what might have been a farm. Now it was just a wide field with dry soil that refused to support anything more than wild grass. Which was probably why no one had come over to kick Hisoka and his mom from their shack to try and reclaim the farmland. Hisoka didn’t mind that nothing grew in the dirt though, because the real source of income in the land was its proximity to the main road into town.

The boy he saw had longer hair than Hisoka’s, hanging a few inches below his shoulders, and it looked as dark and shiny as ink. The man beside the boy was huge, bigger than anyone Hisoka had ever seen, with arms wider than most men’s chests. His hair was long too, but white like sun-dried bones.

The two walked down the dirt path, at a pace fast enough to show intention but slow enough to lack purpose. Hisoka kicked his legs as he awaited their approach and launched himself off the fence to land in the middle of the path once they were within a few yards.

“Hello travelers,” Hisoka greeted. “Might I offer my services as a guide around town?”

“No thank you. We know where we’re going.” The older man said, his voice low and rough against Hisoka’s ears.

“You may know where you’re going, but what about the best way to get there? Wouldn’t want to wander down the wrong street and lose your wallet. Or worse, your life. I can guarantee a safe route to any place you’re headed.”

The man stared at him, his light blue eyes were cold, but Hisoka refused to let his body shiver from the chill.

“We’ll be fine.” The man finally said before stepping around Hisoka.

“Then how about a fortune?” He offered, turning as the man and the boy stepped around either side of him.

The man paused, and he spun around to face Hisoka. His right eyebrow was raised and Hisoka beamed at having caught his curiosity. The young boy didn’t look so impressed, but Hisoka was confident to raise his eyes after showing off his skill.

“Are you a specialist then?” The man asked.

“I am. Fortune telling runs deep in my blood. I’ve never been wrong yet.” He smiled, working to contain his pride so he wouldn’t come off as phony.

The man was still, as was his son. Neither one moved or spoke, but Hisoka kept the smile stretched across his face. His mother may have taught him all she knew about reading cards, but he still hadn’t quite mastered reading a person. Luckily, the man nodded for Hisoka to continue.

Hisoka knelt onto the dirt path and pulled the cards from his pocket. His mother used a very particular combination of playing cards and tarot cards to help read the future. A unique blend that she swore offered more truth and greater detail than one method alone. Hisoka shuffled his deck, closing his eyes and breathing carefully as he accepted the will of the universe to guide his hand.

“It is important to gather as much information as possible before a mission.” He heard the man state. “No matter how close you are to the end, and no matter who the information is from.”

“I understand.” Another voice replied. It was without any inflection and the tone was close to calm, if only for the lack of any other emotion to flavor it.

Hisoka opened his eyes as he laid the first card down. He drew the next and placed it beside the other, continuing until he had the first row -the past- complete. He began to explain the past.

“You are from a long history, and the hearts would suggest family history specifically. But the low number of hearts would suggest you’re not very close to any. You are a warrior, but also a man of money. The fighting and money are directly related. Your partner is similar to you. A warrior. But you met later in life, recently before marrying.”

Hisoka glanced up and didn’t see any change of expression on the man’s face. He continued to draw the cards for the present. A row that was ordinarily the shortest as it pertained to recent events.

“You are traveling to a new place. Warrior and money. You are here for a job that involves a fight and payment.”

There was only one reason a person would come to this useless town for a fight. Hisoka tilted his head up, eager to see if the man would react.

“You’re here to kill someone.”

The man’s eyes narrowed fractionally while the boy’s widened slightly. Hisoka’s blood pounded in his ears and his fingertips tingled as he continued, excited himself to see what the fortune would reveal. The last card in the present line spoke of knowledge and youth.

“And not only are you here to kill. You are here to teach the next generation.” The boy’s eyes didn’t move this time, but his jaw clenched just a bit.

Hisoka laid down the cards of the final row. The future for this man was long enough to suggest he wouldn’t die anytime soon. And all the clubs –a number inherently connected to people— hinted at the countless bodies that the man would continue to rack up.

“You will survive today. You will survive for many years. Lots of wealth and success. And I see more children for you…five in total. At least one girl.”

“Is that it?” The man asked as Hisoka picked up his cards.

“Well. You seem very attached to your work. Luckily for you, you are very successful at it.” Hisoka grinned as he cast a glance to the boy. “Would you like to try your luck?”

“No. We must be going.”

“That will be 100 jenny.”

The man frowned but pulled a bill from his pocket. “500 is the smallest I have.”

“Okay, but I don’t have change.” Hisoka chirped as he snatched the bill away from a hand as big as his face. “How about some insider information then? Tell me who you’re going to kill, and I might be able to offer a little something about him.”

“Gharet Morgil.”

“Oh~ Quite a high client. Got a lot people coming into town to see his women.” Hisoka knelt down in the dirt and drew a rough map with his finger. “That’s his place, east of the market square. When he’s not there selling and sampling his wares, he’s usually visiting his buddies down at the bar here,” Hisoka drew an x, “or at the gambling hall here,” he drew a circle.

The man nodded and turned away, his son following him. Hisoka stood in the road, watching them leave, and was able to lock eyes with the son when he cast his dark gaze back towards Hisoka. He made sure to smile and wave at the boy, who simply looked away.

---------------

The second time Hisoka saw the boy was a few hours later. He had gone into the market to haggle what he could for 500 jenny and noticed the boy standing underneath the shade of an old hotel. The squatters who lived there kept glancing over at the boy, their eyes hungry for something beyond food. It wasn’t until one took a step towards him that Hisoka abandoned his plans and rushed to the boy’s side.

Hisoka slung an arm around the boy, despite the sharp pain that suddenly permeated his arm, and guided him over to the empty water fountain. They sat in the shade of the concrete structure and only then did Hisoka release the boy. Turns out a needle was what caused the stabbing pain, and he plucked the offending object without a grimace. He should have expected as much when approaching an assassin’s son.

“Well, well, well, we meet again.” He smiled, offering the needle back to the boy.

The boy stared at him with deep, dark eyes before taking the needle back.

“My name’s Hisoka, by the way.” The boy said nothing. “What about you?”

“Illumi,” he replied as he stashed the needle somewhere in the folds of his elaborate robe. Hisoka wondered what other naughty things he might be hiding.

“So, I never got to tell your fortune earlier. Would you like me to?”

Illumi’s eyebrows furrowed, his eyes narrowed, and his lip curled down. Hisoka almost laughed at the textbook recreation of suspicion before him.

“Father said you’re a liar. You don’t have any nen.” Illumi tried to hold the expression as he spoke and Hisoka was finding it incredibly difficult to keep a straight face, knowing that the moment he laughed Illumi would take it to mean his fortune telling wasn’t serious.

“I don’t know what nen is, but I’m not lying. I really can tell fortunes. Was I wrong about anything I said to your dad?”

At this, the suspicion dwindled until his mouth was flat and his eyes were wide. “No. Everything was correct.”

“So then, I should be correct about you too. Aren’t you curious?” He held the pack of card aloft, waving them like an enticing treat. Illumi’s eyes followed his movement.

“Very well, but be quick. My father will be finished soon.”

Hisoka hummed an old lullaby his mother would sing as he closed his eyes and began to shuffle the deck as the universe stacked the deck accordingly. He pulled the first card and set it down, unsurprised to see the same one as that afternoon.

“You are from a long history, and the next card, hearts, suggests family history. The number of hearts however,” and here he tapped the card in question. “Are much higher than your father’s. Lots of hearts indicate deep familial ties and traditional values. You are very close to your family.”

The boy nodded. “I often help train my little brother.”

“And your profession is similar to your father. A warrior,” he pointed to the card. “and a man of money,” he tapped the next. “These clubs are lower in number. So you haven’t killed as many people yet.”

The boy seemed loathe to admit it, but he shook his head to confirm the suggestion.

Hisoka tapped the last tarot card, one of a man in stocks. “You have been through pain,” he explained and then moved on to tap the spades, a suit which always indicated an amount without being specific to a category like the others. “A lot of pain.”

“I’ve been doing very well in training.” Illumi nodded in affirmation.

Hisoka moved on to draw the present. With the boy’s youth, it was nearly the same length as his past.

“Travel to a new place. Fighting and money. Very similar to your dad’s but that’s to be expected.” He pulled the last few cards and saw the lover with a moon shortly after.

“You seem to be in love, but haven’t admitted it to yourself yet.”

He glanced up in time to see Illumi’s eyes dart away from his, but the pink dusting across his pale face wasn’t so easy to hide. Before he could remember the pin that had sank into his arm so easily, Hisoka reached out and touched Illumi again. He brushed Illumi’s long hair, just as silken and soft as he’d thought, aside and tucked the strand behind his ear. Now he could see how red the tips of his ears were.

Hisoka’s chest swelled with delight.

“Would you like to know what happens next?” He asked.

Illumi didn’t meet his eyes, but he nodded. Hisoka drew the future row.

“This tower means something big is going to change in your life. Not for the better, I’m afraid. Coupled with the hearts…something in your family dynamic is going to change.”

Illumi’s face was still flushed, but he snapped his attention towards Hisoka, his eyes wide in an honest panic. “My mother is pregnant. You don’t think-”

“I can’t say whether the baby will die, but…this fortune is about you. I’m not sure if your little brother’s death would affect you as much…perhaps he’ll be the new favorite? Take your parents attention away from you?”

Illumi’s eyes softened and his lip curled in thought. “Maybe,” he conceded with a whisper.

Hisoka pointed to the next card. “You’re going to be strong, have many dead bodies. Comparable to your father even, maybe more. But I’m afraid you will suffer. Weakness. Doubt. You’re going to lose your way,” Hisoka gestured to the spades, “more than once. You will be in this state for a long time, I’m afraid.”

“But you said I complete a lot of assignments? That I’ll be as good as my father?”

Hisoka fussed with his lower lip, unsure how to get his point across to a person so clearly focused on the wrong thing, but decided he was in over his head in that regard and continued.

“You will find love. It’s deeply tied to the middle path.” He tapped the card in case Illumi was confused by its strange title. “So, I think when you find your lover, they will help you find balance in your life. You will be content, confident. I see fulfillment and harmony.”

“That’s good,” Illumi smiled. It didn’t quite reach his eyes, but Hisoka didn’t mind. They were so lovely that it’d be a shame to lose any amount of them.

He picked up the cards, seeing once again the love he’d drawn for the present row. He glanced back at Illumi. There wasn’t any more of the blush from before. He was just considering how to bring it back when Illumi got to his feet. Hisoka followed his gaze and saw the large man from before approaching them from the east.

“Time to go,” he ordered, and Illumi rushed back to his side.

“Successful business?” Hisoka asked as he got to his feet. The man met his question with a scowl and walked away without a word. Illumi followed. Hisoka stood by the dry fountain, watching them leave, and was able to lock eyes with Illumi when he looked over his shoulder. Hisoka made sure to smile and wave at Illumi, who –after a furtive glance to his father— waved back.

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Link to story on ao3

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26079688

Link to creator/curator of hisoillu week prompts

@illumiszoldycks

(Sorry for all the spamming. I saw the prompts today and got really excited and sat down to write all day. I’m done though. Thanks for all your patience~)

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